The Quick Guide to Reading in Color

Sunday, March 21, 2010

New Crayons

New Crayons is hosted by Color Online. In New Crayons I share what new books I got this week.

Haiti review week is for sure happening next week! I have almost all the books (I'm only missing Ruined by Paula Morris but that's ok). All the books were sad =/

Spring break is two weeks away for me. I'm so impatient, I can hardly stand it! I need a break from school and I need warm weather and most importantly I need to read more!

Here's my planned list of books to bring on my trip over Spring Break

1. Bleeding Violet (I'm ordering it this week, I NEED it and can no longer wait for Borders to have it in stock)

2. Exclusively Chloe

3. Indie Girl

4. Fabulous

5. An Ocean Apart, A World Away

6. We Were Here

From the library-These books all fit in the theme of March being Arts Appreciation Month

Blue Tights by Rita Williams Garcia

Growing up in a city neighborhood, fifteen-year-old Joyce, unsure of herself and not quite comfortable with her maturing body, tries to find a place to belong and a way to express herself through dance.

It’s hard to discover the "real you" when you have a twin with an identical face who hates you and a mother who wishes you were the other twin. At least, that’s how life feels to Eve. Pushed away from the one-time closeness she shared with her sister, Eve delves into the thing that has sustained her throughout her whole life: acting. Eve loves playing the role of the family’s good girl, but after her sister ends up pregnant and Eve develops a romantic interest for the local "bad boy," Eve begins to realize that there’s a very thin line between "bad" and "good." Told with wit and a good dose of melodrama, Acting invites readers on a backstage tour of the teenage years.

-I read this a little while ago and I remember I liked it but it didn't leave a lasting impression on me. Let's see if I enjoy it more this time around (I loved Sherri Winston's other book The Kayla Chronicles)

The Amah by Laurence Yep

Amy feels conflicted when her mother becomes an amah (a nanny) for the perfect Miss Stephanie. While her mother's at work, Amy has to watch her younger brothers and sisters, which means missing ballet practices. Amy wants to be a good daughter, but she also wants to keep her role in the upcoming dance production. Can she find a way to balance family obligations with her desire for independence?

Dear Anthony:I appreciate your recent interest, but I’m not accepting applications at this time. Your letter will be kept in our files and someone will get back to you if there is an opening. Thank you for thinking of me.Respectfully,

Alejandra PerezP.S. It’s not “Allie.” It’s “Ale.”

Meet T.C., who is valiantly attempting to get Alejandra to fall in love with him; Alejandra, who is playing hard to get and is busy trying to sashay out from under the responsibilities of being a diplomat’s daughter; and T.C.’s brother Augie, who is gay and in love and everyone knows it but him.

-Based on reviews I've read (and the jacket flap) this book sounds hilarious. Apparently it combines humor, social activism, Broadway and baseball which sounds like an interesting combination and I love reading about all of them. The original plan was to buy this book and read it over spring break, but since it deals with musical theater I decided to review it in March.

So what wonderful books did you get this week? Any fun links to share with me? Comment away :)

I really want Bleeding Violet also. I keep trying to win contests for it, but no go. I might have to break down and buy it, but it's hardcover and I try to stick to paperbacks (budget woes) unless it's an author that I just LOVE and collect. I am such a book nerd. Do you have a wish list somewhere?

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Tell the Publishing Industry that you're sick and tired of whitewashed covers and few diversity in books

Reading in Color Wishlist

See also my GoodReads to-read list, since I own almost none of the books on there. If you own any of these books and want to trade for them (or just give them away! hee hee) then please contact me! This list is in no particular order.

My Review Policy

I'm happy to review books that are sent to me when I can. Contact me if you want me to review your book willbprez (at) aol (dot) com

I prefer to review YA books about people of color. Occasionally, I will review a book with a white main character, but odds are, that I will decline.

However, I do NOT review blog novels or e-books. Sorry!

Furthermore, I will ALWAYS review books honestly so if you only want a positive review, that's not me. I blog with integrity.

Reading in Color Ratings & Explanations

5/5=<3 A.Must.Read. Preferably buy it, but if you can't or don't want to, go to the library! The book was amazing. 'Nuff said

4/5=Excellent. Great read. Strongly recommended to read.

3/5=Liked it. Good characters, plot, etc. Read it if you want to be entertained and aren't very nitpicky.

2/5=Decent. Hit or Miss. If you see it, read it, but don't go out of your way to look for it. Don't read if you only like really, really good books.

1/5=One or two ok things about this book. Disappointing. Hopefully the next one by the author will be better! I hope I never have to give a book this review :(

"IQ" stands for Incredible Quote. It's one of my favorite lines from the book. I pick one that really stands out, whether it's funny, inspirational or deep.

"Off-Color" a review of a book that does not have a poc in it. These will be rare and far in between. Uusally they will have a poc as a secondary character or be authored by a poc even if the mc isn't a poc.